Sigma-Delta modulators are nowadays widely used, for example for A/D conversion and D/A conversion. Generally, in sigma-delta modulators an input signal is provided to a quantizer which introduces an error to the quantized output signal. In order to compensate for the error, the error is fed back, for example via a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and subtracted from the input signal before entering the quantizer. The result of the subtraction of the error from the input signal can also be filtered to allow for a higher loop gain and thus reducing further the magnitude of the error at the output of the quantizer. This filtering may be provided in the feedback loop, the signal path or both. The order of this filter determines the order of the sigma-delta modulator. In many sigma-delta modulators, more than one feedback loop may be used.
Furthermore, in many sigma-delta modulators more than one quantizer may be provided. One example hereof is a cascaded or multistage (MASH) sigma-delta modulator, wherein at least a first sigma-delta modulator and a second sigma-delta modulator are connected by interstage connections. Roughly speaking, in the cascaded sigma-delta modulators, the error of one stage is quantized by the sigma-delta modulator of the next stage. The outputs of each stage, i.e. of each sigma-delta modulator are then combined to provide the output signal of the cascaded sigma-delta modulator in such a way that the error of the first modulator is almost completely canceled. Other examples of sigma-delta modulators comprising more than one quantizer are sigma-delta modulators wherein a sigma-delta modulator is connected to a further quantizer to provide the error of the quantizer of the sigma-delta modulator. The error of the further quantizer is not directly feed back to its input but a feedback loop is provided to feed back the error of the further quantizer to the signal path of the sigma-delta modulator. Thus, in these cascaded sigma-delta modulators, the error or the further quantizer is reintroduced to its input not by direct feedback but by feedback via the previous sigma-delta modulator. These cascaded sigma-delta modulators are sometimes referred to as quasi-stage sigma-delta modulators.